Latest articles by Matt McCracken
Best electric guitars under $500/£500 2026: Affordable electrics
Get more for your money with my pick of the best value electric guitars below $500/£500
Best vocal mics 2026: Our top vocal microphones for stage and studio
Add some sheen to your vocals with the best dynamic and condenser mics from Shure, AKG, Rode, Aston, Telefunken, Neumann, and more
"I love that you don’t have to be a Mayer mega-fan to enjoy what’s on offer here": Neural DSP Archetype: John Mayer X review
Two opposing worlds collide in Neural DSP's latest plugin offering
Best laptop for DJs 2026: my choice of PCs, Macs, and Mac-alternatives for playing out
My hand-picked laptop choices for DJs, all perfect for Serato, rekordbox, Traktor, Ableton, Virtual DJ, and more
Best DJ headphones 2026: Booth-ready choices from budget to pro-level
Our expert pick of reliable headphones to suit any type of DJ, including options from Sennheiser, Technics, and Pioneer
Best acoustic guitar for beginners: Strum your first chords with our choice of beginner acoustic guitars
Start playing today with beginner acoustics from Taylor, Fender, Epiphone, Martin and more – hand-picked by experts
Best synthesizers 2026: Top analogue, digital, mono and polysynths
From mini monosynths, through to mighty polyphonic workstations, our experts have hand-picked hardware synth recommendations for every budget
Best budget USB microphones 2026: Get creative and sound better for less
Our expert pick of the top cheap USB mics for streaming, podcasting, recording, gaming, work calls, and more
Best multi-effects pedals 2026: Our pick of the best all-in-one guitar FX modellers
Our guide to the best multi-effects pedals will help you get your head around amp modelling pedals and multi-FX
Best budget studio headphones 2026: Cheap headphones to tackle every studio task
Expert buying advice, plus our pick of budget studio headphones for music-makers from just $49/£39
Best podcasting microphones 2026: my expert picks for every budget and level, including audio demos
Record your next pod’ or stream your heart out with the very best podcast mics, including my affordable recommendation under $100/£100
Best laptop for music production 2026: For home studios and mobile music-making - tested by experts
My pick of the best laptops for making music, plus hands-on reviews, stress testing, and what to look for when buying
Best studio headphones 2026: my pick of cans for mixing, mastering, and monitoring - tested by a working musician and producer
My tried and tested pick of open and closed back headphones for music makers, with full reviews and raw frequency response testing
Best budget audio interfaces 2026: Cheap USB interfaces for home recording, streaming, podcasting, and more
I’ve tested more than 20 options to bring you my expert pick of the best affordable audio interfaces for great quality recording on a budget
Best audio interface 2026: For home recording, podcasting, and streaming - tested by experts
Our tried and tested pick of USB and Thunderbolt interfaces for Mac and PC across every budget, plus full reviews, in-depth testing, and buying advice
"Makes the case that you might never need anything else": Neural DSP Quad Cortex review
Neural reaches the next frontier of amp modelling with a unit that might just change everything
“The modelling offers sumptuous guitar tones with plenty of variety”: Blackstar Beam Solo review
Blackstar may be late to the guitar headphone amp party, but its offering has some seriously good sounds
UAD's free plugin offer is the biggest no-brainer I've seen this year – but time is running out to get your hands on a world-class studio weapon for nothing
This monumental free UAD plug-in giveaway is about to expire - grab your free gear before this awesome offer vanishes forever
"Just as good as many affordable Squier, Epiphone, or Yamaha guitars I’ve played": Cort G200SE review
Cort's beginner-friendly S-type shows just how far beginner guitars have come in the last 20 years
Thomann Cyber Monday deals 2025: the savings are over for another year
Thomann's massive 2025 Cyber Monday deal have ended, but there are still plenty of ways to save
Cyber Monday plugin deals 2025: The biggest plugin sale of the year is over
Cyber Weekend has officially ended, but there are still some last-minute savings to take advantage of on music software
Cyber Monday plugin deals 2025 LIVE: all of today's most unmissable music software discounts on Native Instruments, IK Multimedia, Plugin Boutique and around the web
Today is your last chance to load up your DAW with the the cut-price plugins I'd recommend to every producer, from beginner to pro
I’ve tested 13 studio headphones this year and my top choice just landed a serious Cyber Monday deal - save $110 on the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro
Save big on four of my top six studio headphones in the Cyber Monday deals
Black Friday plugin deals 2025: These are the last remaining deals on software
Black Friday is over, but you can still bag a last-minute deal on plugins
New Thomann deals are still being added to its Cyber Week sale with fresh-but-serious offers on guitars, pedals, and more - save up to 70% while stock lasts
Thomann's Black Friday blowout has added loads of new deals, with reductions on thousands of guitars, studio gear, pianos, PA systems, and more